Contributed by Melanie Bateman, CABI Switzerland
In March of this year, 11 students from 10 different countries journeyed to CABI’s Centre in Switzerland and embarked on a Masters of Advanced Studies in Integrated Crop Management (ICM). ICM is a sustainable approach to farming which promotes practices that are economically-viable and that integrate the needs of the environment.
This week, the MAS ICM students join world-renowend experts for a symposium on Visions for a Sustainable Agriculture. The students will take to the floor to present on the challenges and priority areas for action in their home countries. Other presenters on the agenda include representatives of industry; research institutions such as the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL); universities such as the University of Southampton and the Sustainable Agroecosystems Group at the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich. Plantwise will also be featured among the topics under discussion as an example of a means for providing farmers with advice on sustainable farming practices. Plantwise is a topic which is close to the hearts of some of the students as many of them are very active in the Plantwise programmes in their home countries.
Master student of the classe 2015 in Intergrated Crop Management (ICM) with CABI Switzerland. Many of them are very active in the Plantwise programmes in their home countries.